Temitayo (Temi) Odulaja

Making the transition to living in America was abrupt for Temitayo (Temi) Odulaja. From his first moment walking out of the airport and feeling the cold Chicago wind, he knew things were going to be much different than what it was like in his home country of Nigeria. Coming to America to further his education, Temi enrolled at Olive-Harvey College thanks to its close proximity and affordable price. As someone who loves learning, Temi was excited to start class. Going to college was always something he wanted.

Just because Temi was passionate about learning doesn’t mean things were always easy for him. Adapting to American accents was difficult and it took a lot of work to understand each lesson. He made sure to get the help he needed by going to the Tutoring Center for help in his English and social sciences classes. Getting more accustomed to the campus also led Temi to get more involved. He joined Phi Theta Kappa and became a senator in the Olive-Harvey Student Government Association. The people he’s met and the relationships he’s built are some that he’ll never forget. “You have people here who really care about you,” he says. “There’s a mutual understanding here that helping others is important.”

Now that he has completed his associate degree, Temi is considering his transfer options to study mass communications and become an investigative journalist.